


Tameness of the Wolf

by m_k



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Thee 50's High Teens
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Bajoran Culture, F/F, Fem!Kirk, Fem!McCoy - Freeform, Fem!Spock, G-sound, Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Kissing, Romulans, Rule 63, Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), Thee 50's High Teens as Romulans, Vulcan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28596606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_k/pseuds/m_k
Summary: Jaymie Tiberia Kirk.Romulan girl group.Bajoran Orb of Power.Yup.





	1. Jaymie T. Kirk

Jaymie Kirk was sitting on the edge of her chair, literally. Her Academy professors had made sure she took away one thing in particular from her stellar navigation classes: stay away from black holes. Don’t trust the navigational computer; don’t tempt fate.

“T’pok…?”

The Vulcan first officer was focused on adjusting the ship’s sensors. 

On the forward viewscreen was a blackness, an emptiness, surrounded by a sweeping ring of glowing plasma. Over millions of years, this galactic sinkhole had consumed the equivalent of thirty thousand suns. 

Kirk sighed, grabbed her coffee cup and found it empty.

T’pok turned and glanced at the main viewscreen. “This is the source of the transmission, Captain. Increasing magnification.” 

A small ship was hovering near the event horizon of the black hole…stationary and seemingly frozen, deep red in color. From her panel, T’pok replayed the reconstructed distress call. A distorted voice floated above a sea of crackle and static. Although the words were unintelligible, the desperation was clear.

T’pok added, “If the wavelengths had been any more lengthened, the signal would have been impossible to detect.”

“Time distortion?” suggested Kirk.

The science officer nodded and considered the ship on the screen with fascination. “They are trapped in the instant between life and oblivion, between existence and annihilation. Sensor readings indicate that a tractor beam extends from that ship into the event horizon. It’s creating a stable eddy in time and space. In effect, it’s creating a ‘pocket’ that is preserving the moment just prior to their destruction.”

Kirk asked, “Do we have any idea who they are?”

“No exact identification,” T’pok responded. “The ship is Romulan. The model was retired many decades ago, although it is still in common use.” 

Uhura asked, “Can we save the crew?”

Kirk smiled. Of course, Uhura, the most empathetic of the bridge crew, was the one to broach the inevitable question.

The Vulcan sighed deeply and pulled her long hair behind her ears before answering, “It presents a difficult problem. But I have a theory….”

———————

The Columbus II shuttlecraft was launched via automation from the Enterprise. Scotti watched the shuttle’s progress as it approached the older ship trapped near the event horizon.

“We outfitted the shuttle with transporter enhancers,” she explained.

“What about the time dilation?” asked Kirk.

Scotti answered confidently, “The transporter will compensate.”

Over the comm, Kirk asked, “Transporter room, are you ready?”

The answer came: “Affirmative, Captain. Security and Dr. McCoy are here.”

The first officer, watching her panel, turned to Kirk and nodded.

“Transporter room, engage,” Kirk ordered.

A long silence ensued.

Kirk glanced impatiently at T’pok, who explained,“The transporter sequence will take one point one seven minutes to complete due to time dilation.”

“Bleck hyoles…,” grumbled Chekov.

Scotti yelled, “Chekov, watch for stray magnetic and gravitational field lines!”

T’pok raised a brow. “May I ask who is minding Engineering while you are supervising Navigation?”

“T’pok…,” Kirk chided.

The Enterprise jolted and shook. T’pok clutched her console tightly and reported, “The gravitational focal point is becoming unstable. The shuttle is now drifting toward the event horizon. We can no longer retrieve it.”

“How much longer for the transporter cycle?” Kirk demanded.

“Twenty seconds,” reported T’pok.

Again the ship lurched violently. Charged-plasma induced sparks burst from the environmental and engineering consoles.

Scotti shouted, “If a critical system goes down while we’re this close to the black hole, we’ll be lost for sure!”

Kirk heard a painful structural wrenching as the ship lurched again. She demanded, “Transporter room, did you get them? Transporter room?”

She decided that they could wait no longer.

“Sulu, go!”

Almost instantly, the warp drive propelled them away from the gravity well, and the viewscreen revealed a sea of stars drifting past.

Kirk sighed in relief and again tried the comm: “Transporter room? This is Captain Kirk. Did we retrieve the passengers?”

“Indeed, Captain Kirk.” The voice was unfamiliar, and full of arrogance. “I am Commander Tomo of the Romulan Star Empire. Your crew here are my prisoners. You will surrender to me…or they will die.”


	2. Romulan Insults

The Romulans were in a tactically untenable position. Kirk decided, rather than needlessly risking lives, that she would simply present the situation to them as it was. She brought T’pok to the transporter room with her. Generally, Romulans were fascinated by Vulcans, their long lost genetic cousins, and Kirk thought this might open a channel of communication.

The Romulan commander, holding a disruptor weapon to McCoy’s neck, watched Kirk and T’pok enter. She held up a hand to indicate that they were to advance no further. Each of the four Romulans held a hostage. They wore standard, if out-dated, Romulan military uniforms. Commander Tomo’s was trimmed in magenta, while the other three were trimmed in blue.

Tomo’s eyes narrowed; she raised her chin imperiously. But her hauteur diminished when T’pok came into view.

“A Romulan?” she asked. “A _traitor_?”

“I am T’pok,” the first officer replied simply.

“My first officer. And he’s a Vulcan, not Romulan,” Kirk explained quietly. “The Vulcan star is not that far from Earth’s star.”

McCoy, a disruptor muzzle pressed to her neck, groaned, “Jay, maybe now is not the best time for an astronomy lesson.”

Kirk nodded. “But there are some things that Commander Tomo needs to understand before she takes any rash action. For instance…what year it is?”

The Romulan sneered but indulged the human: “421, Imperial Era.”

Kirk shook her head, “No. The year is…ah….”

“…529,” T’pok offered.

Kirk took a few steps closer and locked eyes with the Romulan commander.

“You, and your crew,” she said, “have been trapped in a time-space eddy for over one hundred years. The war between the Humans and the Romulans is over. It ended a century ago. Now, you _could_ try to take over this ship,” Kirk smiled lightly, “but there are over four hundred crew outside that door. So really, Commander, the choice is yours. You can sit in a Federation prison for murder for the rest of your life, or you can be our guest until we can return you to the Romulan Star Empire.”

Tomo glanced uncertainly at each of her three crew in turn. Despite the lack of words, it seemed a consensus existed among them. They released the four prisoners.

“We accept our new reality…and request your understanding,” she said carefully, lowering her head slightly and beginning to holster her disruptor.

Kirk held out her hand. “Disruptors….”

The Romulans groaned, but complied, handing over their weapons. Then the transporter room door slid open and six security women entered in bright red uniforms.

Kirk nodded toward the Romulans. “Search them. Then throw them in the brig.”

Tomo bared her teeth. “You said we were to be guests!” she objected.

“You’ll _be_ our guests… _in the brig_ …until I can return you to the Romulan Star Empire.”

The security team began to forcefully remove the four. Tomo struggled and began shouting, “I protest! Kirk! Kirk…you…bastard whore!”

The door slid shut behind them.

Kirk smiled at McCoy, “Well, it seems the universal translator has no problem with hundred-year-old Romulan insults.”

McCoy, rubbing her neck where the disruptor had jabbed it, complained, “Jay, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t much like Romulans.”

“Bones, the Romulans aren’t going anywhere,” countered Kirk. “You should be more progressive in your thinking.”

“Fine,” grumbled McCoy. “I hate them.”

———————

Dr. McCoy, having concluded her examinations, asked Kirk to meet her in Security. The Romulans, looking bored and miserable, were reclining in their cell. Lynn McCoy was cranky, but soft-hearted, and Kirk could guess where this talk was headed. 

“They’re in good health. They’re cooperative, and they’re anxious to return to Romulus. Jay, maybe you should go a little easier on them.”

Kirk glanced at the women in the cell and whispered, “I thought you hated Romulans?”

McCoy grumbled, “No, I just hated having a gun at my neck.”

Kirk smiled.

McCoy continued, “Jay, they’re soldiers from a war that ended a century ago. They’re trying to adjust. We can make it easier for them by treating them like people instead of criminals.”

“Is that your opinion as the ship’s chief medical officer?” asked Kirk.

“I suppose so,” agreed McCoy.

Kirk considered this briefly, then approached the glowing blue security barrier that separated the Romulans from the rest of the ship.

“Commander Tomo,” Kirk addressed her counterpart.

Tomo stood and glanced at her three officers. They appeared defeated and dispirited. As she neared Kirk, she began to reflexively give the imperial salute, with fist on chest, but stopped herself, then she attempted to give a flattened hand to the temple salute, but that did not seem right either. Finally she threw up her hands and said, “I don’t know.”

Kirk smiled and laughed.

The Romulan added, “I want to apologize for our previous behavior. We…are not uncivilized, Captain. But this is new to us. I give you my word, as one commander of women to another, that my crew will behave.”

Kirk looked her in the eyes. “I’ll see that you, and your crew, are moved to secure guest quarters. But be aware that armed guards will be supervising your movement through the ship. You’ll have to comply with our rules to remain at large.”

“I understand,” the Romulan nodded. “That’s…very compassionate. My crew will comply.”

Kirk decided to go full diplomacy. “Would you and your crew like to attend dinner tonight with my senior staff. We don’t have any expertise in Romulan cuisine, but I know that Commander Scott has a thirty year old bottle of Romulan ale that I might convince her to open.”

Tomo considered. “Well, I have quite a sophisticated palate. Purely in the interest of interstellar relations, mind you, I’d be willing to sample that ale and let you know if it’s any good. For diplomacy, of course.”

“Of course,” agreed Kirk. “The guards will escort you to your new quarters once they’re prepared.”

“Captain?” Tomo hesitated. “Do not take this the wrong way, but I—I have to know. The war between Earth and Romulus…who won?”

“No one won,” Kirk responded. “It was a draw.”

The Romulan started to shake; her eyes became glassy. Kirk glanced at the security chief, then turned off the force field, pulling the woman through the opening.

Kirk explained, “The Federation and the Romulan Empire are not friends, but we tolerate each other. I have fought a Romulan warbird. I have been on a Romulan heavy cruiser. Romulans and Humans are no longer separated by sectors and subspace. We are free to…understand each other. To learn about each other.”

Tomo nodded and said, “I’m trying to adapt to this new world.”

Kirk smiled at her and said, “Come with me.”

“Pardon?” she asked.

“As one commander of women to another, I want to give you a tour of my starship.”

The Romulan smiled shyly and nodded, telling her soldiers, “Wait for me; I will return.”

They saluted with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. 

———————

Tomo smiled. Her feet up on the desk, hair hanging loosely about her head, she appeared to be in an excellent mood and was completely caught off guard by the vitriol of her three subordinates.

“I am disappointed…in you,” Kei stated. She had a hard but intelligent face. Her incisiveness had saved their lives many times—and the others respected her.

T’Su, the engineer, stood beside Kei and added, “We are wasting our time on this ship.”

Tomo was no longer smiling. She turned to Hani and asked, “Are you dissatisfied with my leadership as well?”

Her tactical officer turned away, not saying anything.

Tomo stood and faced them. “According to T’pok, the Showa Eru is still intact and frozen above the black hole, and its tractor beam is still holding the Orb in place at the event horizon. Meanwhile, I have the captain of this ship eating out of my hand like a little bird. The Orb is still our goal.”

Hani spoke. “The Orb, Tomo? Does it even matter anymore?”

T’su nodded. “The war is over.”

“The war,” began Tomo, speaking slowly and certainly, “is never over. The struggle for power is eternal. So…you want to return home? Huh? Kei? Hani? T’su? What are you returning to? What are you going to do?” She looked at the three disdainfully. “Go back to school and train? Earn a living? Find a mate? Be _truthful_ …we, together, made the finest crew in the Empire. One hundred years ago…we were _legends_. If we return to the Empire now, with the Orb of Power, the universe will belong to us!” 

Hani tried to understand this: “What are you saying? Our own Bird of Prey? Our own fleet?”

“Our own Empire!” Tomo said. “Kei will translate the power of the Orb into stardrives. Hani will architect our strategies for empire-building. And T’Su will engineer ships with weapons not yet imagined. And I…will be Empress. I won’t give up. I won’t give up!”

Wordlessly, the other three stood straight and empowered. They saluted their leader, fists on their chests.


	3. The Prize I Seek

Kirk instructed the chef on the Enterprise (well, technically, the staff dietitian) to cook some real food for a change, and the result was an eclectic spread of mostly edible dishes. She fully expected the Romulans to express distaste and was pleasantly surprised by their appetite and their willingness to sample new tastes.

T’pok was explaining the historical relationship between Vulcans and Romulans as tactfully as she was able.

“Archeological evidence indicates the Remans enslaved and transported multitudes of Vulcans to Romulus over a thousand years ago. When these slaves rebelled and then defeated the Remans, your Romulan history began.”

“That hardly comports with the historical record,” objected Kei.

T’pok frowned. “Archeological evidence uncovered on both Vulcan and Romulus over the last century agrees with this hypothesis.”

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” Kirk suggested.

The Romulan commander interjected: “The Showa Eru, Captain Kirk…my ship. Is there any chance of saving it?”

Kirk took a sip of wine before she answered. “Commander, as I’m sure you’re aware, at this point, your ship is at best a relic. A relic about to disappear into the event horizon of a black hole.”

Tomo protested, “But…it is stable.”

“The shuttlecraft which facilitated your rescue destabilized the eddy of space-time that is preserving your craft,” explained T’pok.

“No!” Tomo rocketed to her feet and examined the shocked Federation faces around her. Even her own soldiers looked up in surprise. She groaned and clenched her fists, then decided she had no choice but to lay her cards on the table. “The Showa Eru is not the prize I seek. Aren’t you curious what is at the other end of that tractor beam?”

Scotti guffawed. “It hardly matters. Whatever it is, it’s never coming back.”

“Don’t be so sure,” she began. “It’s a priceless artifact…a Bajoran orb. Very rare and very powerful.”

Scotti argued, “Priceless? Don’t you mean ‘worthless’ now that the black hole has it?”

“Do some research and open your mind a bit…islander,” Tomo said. “This is the ‘Orb of Power.’ Only nine orbs exist in this universe, each one representing an inter-dimensional gateway that allows whoever possesses it to control one aspect of reality. And, in this case…the Orb of Power controls power itself.”

“What kind of power?” asked Kirk.

Tomo met her eyes. “Whatever kind,” she said, “that you desire.”

Kirk shook her head, “Commander, I won’t risk my crew for a Bajoran magic lamp, no matter what kind of wish it grants.”

Tomo pleaded desperately. “Allow Kei and Ms. T’pok to work together, to form a plan to save the Orb.”

“Why do you think the Orb is worth it?” asked Kirk. 

The Romulan commander spoke: “This great ship of yours…two-thirds of it devoted to propulsion. Ninety percent of your time is spent in transit. The orb is not just a crate of dilithium. It’s the _knowledge_ of power. Starships that flit between stars in minutes instead of days. The power to create cities instantly.” She raised her plate and dropped it to the table. “Food for every starving child on every planet in this galaxy. Are you starting to understand, Kirk? Are you starting to get it?”

———————

Later, Kirk and Tomo stood side by side in the dark, empty observation deck. Beyond the port windows, the ring of glowing plasma that outlined the black hole hung very still, seemingly frozen among the stars.

Tomo was contrite: “I lost my composure in front of your crew…and in front of mine. I’m sorry.”

Kirk did not respond.

Tomo placed her hand on the cold glass. “My ship is out there. Have you ever lost a ship, Kirk?”

“Not yet,” the Starfleet captain replied. 

“It’s like losing a part of yourself,” she explained. “The Bajorans flew into the event horizon to prevent me from capturing the Orb. I did not expect that. I wouldn’t let them go.”

Kirk asked, “If a photon, an energetic and massless particle, can’t escape from a black hole, what makes you think we can retrieve this Orb of Power?”

“Romulan ships,” Tomo replied, “are powered by synthetic singularities. Did you know that? We Romulans create black holes to power our ships. Kei’s grandmother originated the design, and Kei is just as brilliant as she was. It’s no accident that Kei is my science officer. I’ve worked for so long to make this happen. I _will_ have my way. I will not be denied.”

“You’re…undeniable,” Kirk replied.

Kirk pulled the Romulan close to her and kissed her. Tomo tensed and Kirk thought she might pull away. Then tears began to fall from her tightly closed eyes. Kirk paused to make sure they were on the same page, pulling back a bit and sweeping Tomo’s long bronze-colored hair out of her face.

Tomo gazed back into Kirk’s eyes. She whispered, “Love me tonight.” 


	4. If Things Were Different

Kei was running gravity flow simulations on the computer in the Romulans’ quarters.

T’pok handed her a square yellow data card, stating, “As you requested, the most current sensor readings. I see that you are modeling possible capture vectors.”

“That’s right,” Kei agreed. “Am I not allowed to do so?”

Her tone indicated hostility; T’pok attempted to deflect it.

“You are allowed.”

“Then, am I breaking any of the rules laid out for me?” Kei asked.

T’pok shook her head. “Again, no.”

“Then why are we talking?” Kei demanded contemptuously.

“Captain Kirk has received word from Starfleet that we are to attempt to retrieve the Orb of Power…if it is indeed possible. I am here to offer my assistance.”

“I’m sure that will make all the difference,” Kei said caustically, pushing an empty chair back from the table.

T’pok sat beside the Romulan and began to examine the data curves on the screen. Kei continued to glare at her. The Vulcan shifted uncomfortably, returning her gaze.

“I am offering to assist you in whatever way you think best,” T’pok finally said.

“How about you get me a Romulan keyboard,” Kei answered.

———————

Hani and Tomo each downed a tall glass of synthehol, which they agreed resembled thin machine lubricant, although it improved the more you drank. Hani was attempting to retune a Vulcan lute that someone had left in the lounge. It was similar to Hani’s instrument back on the Showa Eru, except for the mellow tuning scale. She played a few disparate notes, then started to play an arpeggiated sequence of chords.

Tomo smiled to herself, then began to sing aloud. The sight of two Romulan military officers, dressed in their draped patterned uniforms, half drunk and creating ethereal music, was irresistible to the starship crew, who gathered around.

The universal translator, either because of programming or frustration, stopped translating and Tomo’s rough but vibrant native voice filled the lounge.

Kirk, looking for Tomo, entered the lounge and stood beside McCoy, who was smiling broadly as she listened to the melody.

“Jay, I don’t care if they _are_ Romulan,” McCoy said. “They’re cute.”

Music rarely moved Kirk. She simply wasn’t born with that gene that makes people sing in the sonic shower, or listen to musicals on long trips. But listening to Tomo sing, her heart seemed to expand within her chest and a tear came to her eye. She wiped her face inconspicuously, but of course McCoy noticed.

Yet, rather than make the expected acidic remark, McCoy shifted her gaze to the floor and appeared to become lost in thought.

The song finished, the crew applauded enthusiastically, and Kirk approached Tomo. “Walk with me?”

Tomo smiled, something Kirk was not yet used to seeing. Her whole face transformed and Kirk resisted the impulse to kiss her in front of the crew.

Together they walked leisurely through the corridor, past the maintenance workers, the people going on shift and leaving shift, and the people simply going out to socialize. Four hundred and thirty people aboard—a town, a village, a very large family. Kirk wondered if she looked strange, rambling the halls of her starship with this Romulan woman, Tomo, wearing her tall military boots, with her long hair framing a rather contagious smile, and stuck like glue to Kirk’s side.

Kirk began to speak. “The Federation has been courting the planet Bajor for quite some time…”

“Well, the Federation should just tell Bajor how beautiful she is,” suggested Tomo.

“…and it turns out, the Orb may be the key to sealing the deal. I received orders from Starfleet to retrieve the Orb before the opportunity disappears.”

Tomo stood on her toes and kissed Kirk. Kirk looked about sheepishly and added under her breath, “Starfleet also said that, according to historical records, you were notorious for breaking rules and for flaunting your disregard for Romulan law.”

“Well, I admit,” she replied, “that flaunting is a special talent of mine. I can’t resist flaunting.”

“Tomo,” Kirk said, “let’s be clear about something. The Orb, should we retrieve it, will go to Bajor.”

“Well,” Tomo replied breezily, “I think I have a claim on it.”

“Tomo…the Orb…goes to Bajor.”

The woman seemed suddenly small and frail. An illusion, surely. She refused to look Kirk in the eye. McCoy had caught up with them, and was staring at them thoughtfully from the end of the section.

Tomo whispered the word “ _E’lev_ ” to Kirk and, walking past the stationed guards, disappeared inside her secured quarters.

McCoy accompanied Kirk to the bridge, criticizing her all the way.

“Jay, you have a weakness for that woman in particular. Are you listening to me?”

“So what, Bones?”

“ ‘So what?’ Jay, when it comes time to choose, and that time will come, choose with your head and not the rest of your body.”

“Bones…,” Kirk began, but she had no counter argument.

“Jay…?”

“If things were different,” she began again, but realized it was no use imagining how things might be, when reality was staring her in the face. “If things were different…,” she repeated resignedly.


	5. Fish on the Line

The second automated shuttlecraft, Magellan, cleared the hanger bay. Kirk glanced at Commander Tomo of the Romulan Star Empire. Her face was cold and focused. Kei was leaning over T’pok’s shoulder, following the sensor data. T’su was assisting Scotti, although Scotti appeared to be keeping the Romulan at arm’s length. Hani was resting a hand on Sulu’s panel. Somehow, Kirk realized, this had become a joint Romulan-Earth mission, and necessarily so.

The audacious plan was born of Kei’s mathematical genius. The intent was to swing the shuttlecraft Magellan on a long leash of induced gravity using the tractor beam. The combination of mass and gravity, upon intersecting the tractor beam of the Showa Eru, would, they hoped, pull the Bajoran ship back out of the event horizon, and the Orb with it.

On the surface, the physics of the situation were impossible. But as Tomo herself pointed out, the Orb existed inter-dimensionally, and the fact of the Showa Eru being suspended for over a century in nearly frozen time was itself an impossibility. The Bajoran artifacts made impossible things possible. They connected on the level of mind instead of matter.

Likely, the shuttlecraft Magellan would have to be sacrificed, as would Tomo’s ship, the Showa Eru. Truthfully, the plan had so many variables that there was little guarantee of anything surviving except the Enterprise. In any case, the Orb was the true goal.

What Kirk had not said aloud: she planned to place Tomo and her crew in confinement if the operation were to succeed. The Romulan could not be trusted, despite the fact that Tomo had opened a door for Kirk that had rarely opened. They were, Kirk thought, a matched pair. Kirk knew that. But Jaymie T. Kirk was Starfleet first, and Tomo’s _e’lev_ (‘sweetheart’ — she looked it up) second.

Sulu said, “The shuttlecraft is secured by the tractor beam…hooked like a fish on the line.”

Scotti reported, “Engineering at ready.” 

T’pok observed Kei, who appeared optimistic, if full of anxiety. “Everything is in place,” the Vulcan stated.

“Begin the maneuver,” ordered Kirk.

“Beginning maneuver,” replied Sulu, activating the complex, preplanned course of action from her panel.

The mass of the Enterprise pivoted; the shuttlecraft, bound by the tractor beam, began to pick up kinetic energy.

“Increasing power to the tractor beam to compensate,” Scotti said.

“Like a fish on the line,” repeated Kirk, looking at Tomo. “Let’s hope the fishing’s good.”

“Let’s hope the catching’s good,” she responded.

Their eyes met, and Kirk had the strongest feeling—an intuition bordering on certitude—that no matter what happened from that point on, she and Tomo would be together for the rest of their lives. Kirk just hoped that that meant “years,” not “minutes.”

T’pok reported, “Intersection of the beam will occur in…three…two…one!”

The bridge began to tremble. Tomo grabbed onto Kirk’s shoulder to anchor herself. Then the Enterprise pitched violently. The Romulan women began to curse like sailors.

“Some kind of feedback!” Scotti yelled.

“The shuttle is veering off course. The plan has failed,” reported T’pok with certainty.

“Reverse!” yelled Tomo desperately. She turned to Kirk. “We have to try again!”

Kirk turned to her chief engineer.

Scotti disagreed vehemently. “The shearing stress on the pylons is too great! The fields won’t hold! We’ll be torn apart!”

Tomo shouted, “Kei?” She reached out her hand toward her science officer.

Kei’s face revealed a tortured expression. She opened her mouth, but appeared overwhelmed.

T’pok stood, grabbed the emergency railing, and addressed Kirk: “Jay, she already sacrificed her ship and her crew once!”

The ship lurched, tossing some of the bridge crew from their chairs. Kirk stood, pulled Tomo close, and placed her in the captain’s seat.

“Sulu,” Kirk shouted above the sound of failing shields and wrenching structure, “disengage the tractor beam! Get us out of here!”

T’pok reported: “The shuttlecraft has collided with the Showa Eru. Both vessels have been destroyed. The gravitational bubble is collapsing and we are being pulled toward the event horizon.”

“It’s no good,” Scotti said fatalistically. “Even at warp we can’t pull ourselves away.”

“T’pok?” Kirk was looking for either an idea that would save all their lives, or confirmation that defeat was upon them.

The Vulcan looked at Kei, who said simply and directly, “Flatten the shield geometry and bank off the black hole’s plasma stream. Half a second at warp one.”

“Will it work?” asked Kirk.

T’pok raised an eyebrow. “Too little time to plot all the variables.”

“At least it’s a chance!” shouted Kei.

“I concur,” said T’pok.

“Do it!” ordered Kirk.

In the twenty seconds of time remaining to them, before disappearing from the universe of life and light and trading it for a pocket universe of darkness and destruction, the Human-Vulcan-Romulan crew made it happen.

The Enterprise warped into the plasma stream, bounced away using its remaining deflector shields, and emerged from a brief, rainbow wormhole anomaly into a field of stars. Emergency lights came up; some panels came back to life, and some didn’t.

Strangely, the crew remained silent. Kirk had been looking back at Tomo, who appeared devastated, but was at least alive. Kirk turned to see a curious image on the viewscreen—the image of her own ship. Thinking she was seeing a reflection or mirage, she peered closer: Constitution class, registration number NCC-1701.

“Sulu, what’s this?” asked Kirk.

“It’s…it’s…it’s the Enterprise,” she responded, plainly baffled.

An amazed Uhura said, “Captain, I’m receiving a hail.”

“Open a channel,” replied Kirk with some trepidation.

A Starfleet captain appeared on the viewscreen…a curiously familiar man.

“This is James T. Kirk of the Federation starship Enterprise.” Jaymie Kirk gasped deeply as her counterpart continued,“Would you…please identify yourself?”

Tomo, commander in the Imperial Forces of the Romulan Star Empire, former captain of the fast scout ship Showa Eru, now sitting in Kirk’s own captain’s chair, her head in her hand, glanced at Jaymie Tiberia Kirk with a perplexed expression on her face, then shrugged.

Kirk thought to herself: _This is gonna be awkward. But…all things considered…I think…it’s going to be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel here: [Starship Churchill: Mistakes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816755/chapters/70675308)


End file.
